


set my heart ablaze

by Elynn



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Getting Together, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining Keith (Voltron), and some kissing, its just a vague wet dream, klance, theyre both just stupid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2020-08-13 10:21:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20172652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elynn/pseuds/Elynn
Summary: It all began with a spark.A small spark that landed on the nape of his neck. Small, so it didn’t burn. Barely warm enough to feel. Easy to ignore.But more sparks came. Bigger, brighter, hotter. They landed on his skin and stung for his attention. Heating his body until he could no longer ignore the sparks.And oh, how he tried to stop it. He snuffed them out as they came, ignored the marks they left. Pushed away the thoughts those sparks brought; distracted himself when they tried to overtake him in the night. But it was never enough.Because without realizing, he had become flammable.And that first spark on his skin had turned him to fire.Or: Keith gets a crush that he didn't sign up for





	set my heart ablaze

**Author's Note:**

> This turned out about five times longer than originally planned.

It all began with a spark. 

A small spark that landed on the nape of his neck. Small, so it didn’t burn. Barely warm enough to feel. Easy to ignore. 

But more sparks came. Bigger, brighter, hotter. They landed on his skin and stung for his attention. Heating his body until he could no longer ignore the sparks. 

And oh, how he tried to stop it. He snuffed them out as they came, ignored the marks they left. Pushed away the thoughts those sparks brought; distracted himself when they tried to overtake him in the night. But it was never enough. 

Because without realizing, he had become flammable. 

And that first spark on his skin had turned him to fire. 

* * *

Keith knows that he isn’t the easiest person to get along with. He knows that he lacks patience (he’d been told so by Shiro many times). He is aware that sometimes, he snaps at people who don’t necessarily deserve it. 

But goddammit, Lance is  _ annoying _ . 

He is loud and arrogant and rude. Always in someone’s space, always talking, always making noise. And normally, Keith can handle that. Sure, it annoys the hell out of him, but he can deal with it. He had dealt with stuck up boys at the Garrison; the ones who thought their pretty faces and good grades made them the next force commander. He had learned how to ignore them. 

Usually, after a few interactions with him, most people would realize that Keith was not interested and they’d back off. Unfortunately, Lance is not most people. 

Meaning, he would get in Keith’s space, ramble about nothing, and push his buttons. 

And sue him, he had lived in a shack in the middle of the desert for nearly a year. He can count the amount of human interactions he’d had during that time on one hand. So yeah, he’s a little out of practice. 

So, much to Shiro’s chagrin, Keith snaps and bickers and fights with the Blue Paladin. But Keith doesn’t care. They aren't supposed to be here long. And once they beat these weird, alien, space cats, he would likely never see these people again. 

* * *

It takes a while, but eventually they sneak up on him. 

Naturally it starts with Shiro. If he wasn’t training, eating, or sleeping, then Keith was seeking out Shiro. Now that he had him back, every moment away from Shiro felt like wasted time. 

Then Pidge wriggles her way into his life. She’s bossy, kind of rude, and almost as antisocial as him. They have their differences, what with her trying to leave to find her relatives, but in the end Keith can’t stay mad at her. He remembers being her age and desperate for a family. He would walk through Hell and back for Shiro. He can’t blame her for wanting to do the same for her brother. 

After a stop at a certain planet, Hunk finds some ingredients and makes them an actual meal. It's the first thing that he’s eaten in weeks, so he can’t help but be appreciative toward the Yellow Paladin. After the Weblum, Keith even starts joking around with him. It's the first person besides Shiro and Adam that Keith has been able to relax around in years, and its… new. But it’s a good change. 

He learns to hold a conversation with Allura and Coran. Keith had moved homes a lot as a kid, and rarely had access to the internet. Plus, he had literally spent the last year in a shack studying rocks. So none of them were really familiar with Earth culture. The three of them end up bonding over their shared confusion whenever the other paladins are referencing or quoting Earth stuff. It's… kind of weird, to be honest. But it's a thing now, and Keith can admit that he doesn’t mind the alteans. 

Then there's Lance. 

It's not until after the battle with Sendak that Keith starts to see a different side to Lance. 

Keith’s not usually one for sentiment, but there, in the dim room with Lance bleeding in his arms, Keith can’t help but feel something in him soften for Lance. Especially when Lance turns to him, his face ragged but still smiling, and says, “We do make a good team.” 

Then Lance goes and forgets, and they're back to bickering. But it's different. It’s less malicious and more teasing. They still have fights, but those become few and far between. It's still just as easy to be irritated with Lance, but he finds it difficult to stay angry with him. 

By the time they've been in space for a few months, Keith realizes that he's grown to like his team. To care about them. Its exhilarating, to have a group of people he cares about, and who he's pretty sure care about him. Ironically, its millions of light years away from Earth that Keith feels the least lonely that he's ever been. 

* * *

_ Warm, large hands splay themselves against his back. He is pulled into another body, chest to chest, heartbeat to heartbeat. Fingers comb through his hair, another hand runs down his back. He feels his body go pliant, melting and molding into the person above him. Lips, smooth and soft, press to his. He presses back.  _

_ It’s warm, wherever he is. He likes it here. He doesn't want to leave, wants to indulge in the heated mouth on his for a bit longer; indulge in the feeling of another person. The light is dim and the air is pleasantly warm.  _

_ His hands run through short hair; its soft and the ends of it tickle his skin. The lips on his mouth move to his jaw, his neck.  _

_ He likes it here, in this warm place.  _

When Keith wakes up, his body is warm and buzzing with something he can’t identify. He lays there, for a while, trying to make himself feel normal again, when the dream comes back to him. The feel of the body pressing him into the bed, strong hands brushing against his arms; the balmy thing dripping in his chest. He blushes, shaking his head. He remembers the talks at school, the conversation Shiro had (horribly, awkwardly) had with him. Dreams, he had been told, were normal. 

The embarrassment dissipated, only to be replaced with something more bitter. He wasn't made for nice things like romance or indulgences. He especially didn’t have time for it. 

So, he pushes down the lingering warm left from phantom hands. Tells himself that he had his team, and Shiro, and they are all he needs. He doesn’t need- doesn’t  _ want- _ to be held or loved like that. He slips his shoes on, grabs his blade, and leaves for morning training. 

* * *

Something shifts. 

He stares too long when Lance smiles, sometimes. He starts laughing out loud more at his jokes. He starts to enjoy, and even occasionally seek out, Lance’s company. 

Keith has had friends his age before, but never for long. He’s never had a best friend his age. Shiro has been the only person in Keith’s life to hold that title, along with brother, guardian, and teacher. There was no one that Keith loved more or was more comfortable with than Shiro. 

But Lance is not an authority figure of any kind, so it’s decidedly easier to convince Lance to pull shit and misbehave.

And so their dynamic changes. From tolerant teammates to partners in crime. 

They race through the halls, make bets on stupid things, start food fights. 

They spar, always fighting too hard and too rough. Fighting a person is different from the simulator, and there's something richer in the pride that comes from beating Lance in faux combat. 

They swim in the odd altean pool. Lance teaches him how to swim different strokes and play different games. They race, but Lance always beats Keith. At first it’s kind of embarrassing, but Lance never comments or brags (well, he doesn’t brag  _ too _ much). The small, childlike part of Keith is just happy to finally be fulfilling the things he never got to do during his childhood. 

Years after leaving childhood behind, Keith makes his first best friend. 

* * *

Sometimes they train together. 

This was completely by accident. One day, Keith had walked in on Lance during target practice. Keith tried to leave, but Lance tossed him a pistol and a challenge. 

_ Bet I can hit more targets than you.  _

Keith sucks at shooting. Keith knows he sucks. He took the gun anyway. 

He lost. Unsurprisingly. 

But during the next round, Lance started teaching him. Correcting his stance, his posture. How to hold the gun, how to aim. By the time they were done, Keith was actually able to hit a target. Not a bulls-eye, but he hit it. 

The next time they run into each other in the training room, Keith is hacking at the simulator. He challenges Lance. This time, though, when Lance loses, he doesn’t scoff and walk away. He pulls the boy up and shows him how to hold his body, when and where to hit, and how hard. 

By the time they're done this time, Lance had managed to land a few solid hits on Keith. Nothing that actually hurt Keith, or debilitated him in any way, but he had hit Keith. He was a fast learner. 

When Keith told him as much, Lance had beamed at him, and Keith had immediately offered to teach him again. 

So… now it's a thing. Sometimes they train together. Sometimes they teach one another, sometimes they spar, sometimes they just do individual exercises. Keith looks forward to their time a lot more than he thought he would. Being around Lance is… exhilarating, in a way that he hasn’t experienced before.

He gets excited when he thinks about hanging out, or training, or flying with Lance. His stomach flips and his chest feels light, and the feeling is terrifying and amazing all at once. He didn’t know that having friends could be this intense. 

(Deep down, he knows that its not actually like that. He just can’t comprehend that it could be anything else.)

So yeah, everything is going great in the most terrifying way. It scares Keith, because in his experience, all good things come with a downside. Lance is honestly amazing, and Keith dreads what the catch is going to be.

Almost two months into their new friendship, Keith finds it. The catch comes in the form of a very random, very sudden, very powerful urge to hold Lance’s hand. Keith, of course, pretends that the thought didn’t exist, and ignores it. 

Then, a few days later, it returns. This time, he feels the need to run his hands though Lance’s hair. 

A week later, Lance is stumbling out of a pod after being hurt on a mission (again). He looks ragged and exhausted. His face is pale, his hair is shaggy, and the upturned corners of his mouth were a pathetic attempt at a smile. And Keith had never wanted to kiss someone so badly in his life. 

But it was not a crush. He refused to label the random thoughts. He was a teenage boy. A teenage boy who did not have much experience around other teenage boys. There was also the fact that he had only had one boyfriend, for a limited time, over a year ago. So, there was also probably some pent up feelings there, too. Just because Lance happened to be incredibly attractive and Keith happened to be gay didn’t mean he had a crush on him. Keith refused to fall for a straight boy. 

Half a month later, Lance is stepping out of the pod again. He looks tired, but he perks up as he's greeted by each of his team members. Pidge is rambling to him about her newest invention, and Lance is smiling at her in exasperation and fondness, and Keith feels like he's been punched in the chest. His whole body feels like it's being pulled toward Lance; like there was a rope connecting them, and it had gone taunt. The scary thing was that there was no urge to touch Lance, just the need to be near him. To make sure he was okay. 

But that didn’t mean that Keith had feelings for him. Nope, not at all. Keith would never let himself fall for a straight boy, let alone Lance. 

Right? 

* * *

When it comes down to it, it's really Shiro’s fault that it gets out of hand. 

The day started out normal enough. Breakfast, training, team bonding, lunch, freetime, dinner. 

Dinner is the only meal where everyone eats together. In some unspoken vote, they had all ruled that the last meal of the day was to be eaten together. It's the one time of the day that they all ignore the fact that they are paladins tasked with saving the universe. 

Dinner was their time to just be normal people. Or, as normal as they could get. 

The night everything goes to shit, Hunk had whipped up another amazing meal, as per usual. Placed in front of Keith is a plate of what looks to be an odd combination of green spaghetti and macaroni noodles, topped with a thick purple sauce. Honestly, it looks kind of disgusting, but Keith had learned that when it came to Hunk’s cooking, you can't judge a book by its cover. 

They dig in, the table quiet for a moment as they take their first bites. Then, unsurprisingly, everyone is showering Hunk with gratitude and praise (and in Lance’s case, a marriage proposal). Even Keith murmurs his approval to Hunk with a smile. There was something about the dish that just felt so right that Keith couldn’t help but feel a bit content. 

Hunk then looks at Shiro, and Keith realizes that he hasn’t said anything. He had taken his first bite and frozen, staring down at his plate. He didn’t look like he usually did when something triggered him, so even Keith was puzzled. Something more melancholic had washed over his face, his eyes unfocused. Keith nudges him. 

“Shiro?” he muttered. He knew the feeling of wanting to impress Shiro, who seemed so supportive and utterly adult if you didn’t know him as well as Keith did. He recognized the glinting anxiousness in Hunk’s eyes; it was the same expression he had made when he was young and anxious for Shiro’s approval. 

Shiro looks up, snapping out of his daze. 

“Oh sorry, Hunk. It tastes good.” Shiro looks back down at dish. “Really good.” 

Shiro looks awkward, so Keith pulls the attention away from him. “It tastes kinda familiar. Have you made this before?” He asks Hunk. 

“No, these ingredients are from the planet we visited a few quintants ago. I’ve never used anything like them before.” 

Keith hums, not sure what to say. “Maybe it's closer to an Earth dish then…?”

“It tastes like Adam’s pasta,” Shiro suddenly says. “Thats why its familiar, Keith.” 

He says it flatly. Not sadly, but not particularly happy either. Keith tastes the dish again, and he realizes what Shiro means. The blend of spices and sauce are almost exactly like how Adam used to make it. The extra kick of something was even there. That something that Shiro and Keith could never put a finger on, and Adam had refused to tell them what it was. 

They never worried too much about finding out what Adam’s secret ingredient was. They both thought that Adam would always be around to cook it for them anyway. 

Hunk looks between them, trying to decipher their thoughts. Keith realizes that the whole table had gone quiet at some point during the exchange. Five pairs of eyes trained on the Black Paladin, trying to find what had unnerved their ever diligent leader. 

Pidge pipes up, “Adam? Who is Adam?” 

Shiro smiles sadly. “We had dinner at your house, a few months before the Kerberos mission got announced. Remember? Bebe tried to steal the chicken off his plate.” 

Pidge's eyes go wide in realization, and her face drops. “Oh,  _ that _ Adam.” 

There's a moment of silence, before Lance stupidly says, “Okay, who is Adam?” 

Keith glares at him. How rude could this guy get? “Its none of your-” 

Shiro cuts him off. “He was my fiance.” 

There's a moment of horrified silence as the rest of the paladins process what Shiro said, before Allura is asking what a “fiance” is. Then, once answered, asks again what happened. 

“Uh, Allura, we shouldn’t pry…” Hunk tries, but Shiro shrugs. 

“Its fine, Hunk. Might as well tell you guys.” 

Shiro gives them the short, factual version, not the teary one he had given Keith. He delivers it in almost monotone, but somehow that makes the whole thing all the more painful. Shiro was usually good at hiding his feelings, but this was one of the few things that he couldn’t stay stoic for. Once done, the table is quiet, everyone out of questions. 

“So you… like guys?” 

Almost everyone. 

Keith whips his head to Lance. To hell with his (not) crush on the guy, Shiro was hurting and Keith was not about to let some ignorant straight boy make it worse. He glares at Lance in warning. 

Lance raises his hands in surrender. “No I- I just- Im not- uhh…” 

Keith just glares harder. Lance gulps, and takes a breath. 

“Im, uhm, I’m... bi,” he says, and the table erupts with chatter

Hunk turns to Lance, something like disbelief and pride glowing on his face. He starts murmuring lowly to Lance, who smiles bashfully. “I've never said that out loud before, wow,” Lance mutters. 

Shiro’s eyes widen a bit, but he gives Lance an encouraging smile, while right next to him Keith’s entire brain is malfunctioning. Allura and Coran, simultaneously, ask “What?” At the same time, Pidge eloquently says, “What the  _ fuck _ ?”

And, yeah, exactly. 

_ What the fuck? _

Lance is bi? He is into guys? Romantically? Physically? Bi. Both. Girls and boys. 

_ Boys _ .  _ Keith  _ is a boy.

And just like that, all of Keith’s efforts to keep his crush from getting out of hand crumble. Hope had always been Keith’s enemy. By telling himself that Lance was only into girls, Keith had crushed the thoughts of  _ what if.  _ If he could crush the what ifs, he had more control. He could crush his hope with logic, and keep himself from complicating things with his feelings. 

But now the one thing that had held his hope at bay was gone. 

For just a split second, Keith catches Lance’s eye from across the table. 

_ What if? _

* * *

_ Hot breath fans across the side of his neck, lips brushing just behind his ear. Hands, strong and nimble, stroke across his chest and down his sides, gripping his hips and pulling them flush together.  _

_ Keith whimpers as a mouth attaches to his collarbone and the hands at his hips begin to massage his hip bones, slowly moving downward and pressing harder. Something presses between his legs, and with a gasp Keith’s hands fly up to grab his partner’s hair. He pulls the boy’s face away from his neck, forcing their eyes to meet.  _

_ Blue eyes, pupils blown and irises burning like the hottest part of a fire. They remind Keith of supergiant stars; he had learned in astronomy class that blue stars were among some of the hottest stars in the universe. He thinks of the pictures the teachers used to show of the star Rigel. A shade of blue so pronounced it almost looked unnatural, let alone on a person.  _

_ The blue eyes staring down at him look beautiful, though. And Keith can’t stop staring at their color.  _

_ Lance’s eyes.  _

_ Pressure, then friction. Keith’s back arches, his head tipping back and breaking eye contact. He moans, feeling his body go pliant. His shirt is gone, he's not sure when he took it off. Warmth brushes over his nipple, and Keith suddenly doesn't care.  _

_ The friction increases, and Keith moans again. His breath is coming in pants now, and his whole body feels so much all at once. The emotions in his chest mix with the pleasure in his skin; all of it deliciously addicting but so, so overwhelming. He feels like he’s imploding, just like the stars his teachers told him about. They would gain so much matter they eventually collapse in on themselves, unable to resist their own gravity.  _

_ Tan hands cup his face, bringing him up to look back at Lance. The expression on his face does something to Keith, and it makes the feelings in his chest flare.  _

_ Lance’s thumbs stroke over Keith’s cheek bones gently, tenderly. So different from the growing rhythm between them. Pressure for pressure, chasing release. Then one of them presses back just right, just a little harder, and Lance pulls Keith in for a kiss.  _

_ And Keith goes supernova.  _

Keith jolts up in bed, his hand flying up to slap over his mouth.

Keith is by no means a religious person, but at the moment he was praying to any deity out there that he had  _ not  _ just moaned out loud. In his sleep. From a damn wet dream. 

Keith closes his eyes and scrubs his hand over his face, sighing. A damn wet dream about  _ Lance _ . 

* * *

The realization that he was pining allowed Keith to put a name to other feelings that he had been having. 

Like the times when he would team up with Lance, on or off the battlefield. Working with and around each other, almost no words needed because they didn't need them. How after they had won, Lance would shoot him a smile glowing with pride, flinging an arm around Keith’s shoulders, bragging about how they were unbeatable. Keith’s chest and throat would fill with something light and bubbling. It made him grin and gave him a rush of adrenaline even after the toughest of missions. 

He felt  _ giddy. _

And the times when they were planet-side, interacting with natives, that he would find Lance among a flock of children (young aliens’ fascination with Lance seemed to be a universal thing). Keith would watch as Lance knelt down to the childrens’ level, or let the little ones climb on him and inspect his armor. Answer questions about Voltron, humans, space, everything. And Keith’s whole body would flood with something warm. He wouldn’t be able to keep the corners of his mouth from pulling up. 

_ Affection. Adoration.  _

Then there was the ugly feeling that came. When they would attend whatever event that they had been invited to. It happened more often on planets that they had saved or liberated; the alien government would insist on throwing some sort of party in thanks. Lance would dance and flirt with every vaguely female shaped entity he could find during those stupid parties. And Keith would frown and turn away, the sight leaving a bitter taste on his tongue; his insides left feeling like they had been torn to shreds. 

_ Jealousy _ . 

Oh yes, Keith could get very jealous. 

This party was more extravagant than most. The planet seemed to be ruled by some sort of monarchy. The Queen had personally invited them to a ball held especially in their honor; to show their gratitude to Voltron for saving their planet. Since arriving, the paladins have been showered with lavish gifts and served the finest delicacies. They have secured an alliance, promises of troops and new technology sweetening the alien wine they are sipping. 

And Keith is miserable. 

There are always aliens who show a little  _ too  _ much gratitude. The attention could be directed at any given paladin, depending on the planet, species, or particular battle. 

But none of them reciprocated quite like Lance did. And once the aliens realized who they could get the most attention from, they flocked to him. 

Keith has grown used to watching Lance tote around princesses and maidens at these stupid events. It hurts to watch, but it's an ache he knows how to handle. But watching Lance trail his fingers up the arm of a prince? His blue eyes never leaving the alien’s face as he hangs on every word, clear laughter bubbling at the appropriate times. 

Keith is  _ seething _ . It's one thing to pine after someone he knows could never love him. It's another to know that that could have been Keith over there, flirting and touching Lance like it was no big deal. Knowing that Lance  _ could  _ fall in love with him, but he just didn’t because its  _ Keith _ . 

His body feels scraped hollow, the wine in his stomach suddenly making him sick. Everyone is too close, and Lance is so  _ far _ . 

He dumps the rest of his drink, darting through the crowd in search of an exit. He runs into Shiro, to whom he gives the lame excuse of feeling nauseous. Before the Black Paladin can even respond, Keith is scurrying back through the crowd and out of the party. 

He makes his way all the way back to the castle, its entrance ramp lowering as he approaches. He had been planning to go to the training room, eager to beat out his frustrations. But halfway there, his feet change direction. They take him to the observatory, the room dim and empty without the starmap. With a sigh, he drops down on one of the steps leading into the heart of the room. He buries his head in his arms, curling into a ball and breathing deeply. 

He's not sure how long he sits there, staring at his feet, when the room fills with light suddenly. Keith snaps his head up, looking up at the glowing constellations around him. Behind him, someone clears their throat. 

Coran stands at the control panel, his hand slipping from the menu. He gives Keith a warm smile and moves to stand next to Keith, staring up at the holographic galaxies around them. 

Keith isn’t quite sure what to do. He hasn’t really ever interacted with Coran, not in a one-on-one setting like this. Of course, he was fond of the altean, but the man had always been a bit too eccentric for Keith to really connect with. He frowns as his train of thought turns to Lance. Lance has always gotten along with Coran. 

Coran chuckles softly, and Keith looks back up at him. There's a knowing glint in his eyes that makes Keith uneasy. 

“This doesn’t happen to have anything to do with Lance, does it, lad?” 

Keith gapes at Coran, the blood draining from his face as panic starts to rise. Was he so obvious that even Coran could see his feelings? He sputters, his mouth trying to form words, but nothing comes out. Coran just huffs a laugh and turns back to the stars. 

“You don’t need to explain anything to me, my boy. Just thought this old timer could give you some advice.” Coran pauses for a moment, his fingers twirling his moustache in thought. “Decisions like these always come with a risk. On one hand, if you were to act on your feelings, you could potentially gain a lover. On the other, you risk losing a close friend.”

Keith cringes. Both at Coran’s use of “lover” (hhg idk) and the truth behind his words. If he told Lance, more likely than not it would change their entire dynamic. They would still be teammates, and probably still friends, but not as close as they are now. 

And if Keith never got over his feelings and the fact that he had just said one of Keith's greatest fears out loud. He was right, if he confessed his feelings to Lance, he could destroy their entire friendship. He would still have teammate, still have a friend, but only in the most general sense of the word. They wouldn't be close. Not like they are now.

The trust they had in each other had taken months to grow. Keith was known to be impulsive; to act without thinking. But this was one of the few things in his life that he refused to dive into without a plan.

“However, there is still risk in keeping quiet. Especially in your case.” Coran continues. Keith looks at him in confusion. “My boy, when you love someone enough, it is something that you cannot hide.” 

“Then what do I do?” Keith sputters. 

Coran looks Keith in the eye, something serious in his gaze. “You make a decision. You can tell him of your feelings, or you can attempt to hide your feelings and pray something doesn't reveal them for you.” Coran’s face softens, and his tone goes back to his usual cheerfulness. “But chin up! This is Lance we’re talking about. He won’t hurt you.” 

Keith nods, looking back down to his hands. He doesnt feel better, exactly, but a sort of acceptance washes over him. Either way, he was most likely going to screw things up with Lance. He just has the choice of screwing it up now or later. 

Maybe it's self destructive, or some other “unhealthy mindset” that Shiro would scold him for, but Keith makes his decision. Its cowardly, and pathetic, but he makes his decision.

Keith is never going to confess to Lance. He had worked too goddamn hard on this friendship, and there is no way in hell he was going to throw that away just because he can’t handle his stupid crush. And when, inevitably, that doesn’t work? 

Well, he knows that Lance will break his heart one day anyway. 

* * *

Later, Keith will admit to himself that he probably should have listened to Allura when she was briefing them. But Lance had been kicking and poking at him under the table, and Keith was never one to be passive. So, while Allura and Shiro (with a few pointed looks from the latter) were explaining something very important about the aliens they were trying to create an alliance with, Keith was trying to see how hard he could pinch Lance before the other boy cried out. 

They haven't even been on the planet for ten minutes and Keith is regretting his entire existence. 

The Paladins were to stay the night in the capital while Allura and Shiro worked out the details of the alliance. At the moment, the princess of the planet and an assortment of council figures were giving them a tour of their rooms. 

“Wow!” Lance exclaims. “Look at that view!” The boy is pointing out of the window, toward scenic view outside. Rolling hills give way to golden sand, and waves crash gently onto the beach. The ocean is vibrant blue, almost turquoise. Lance lets out a sigh. “It almost looks like earth.” 

Lance says the last part softly. Only Keith is close enough to him to hear it. He looks from the window back to Lance, and a rush of affection washes over him so suddenly that he almost swoons. The melancholic look on Lance’s face makes him go weak, every instinct telling him to take Lance in his arms and comfort him,  _ love  _ him. Make him feel better. 

Instead, he just places a hand on Lance’s arm, and offers what he hopes is a comforting smile. Lance smiles sadly back. 

Keith is snapped out of his thoughts by the alien princess

“Of course, we will arrange for you two to be in the same room, if you wish,” the princess says, then claps her hands together. “Oh! Or we could set you up in one of our more romantic suites! Im sure alone time together is difficult to come by when one is saving the universe.” The princess is smiling brightly, amusement in her tone. 

Keith feels his stomach twist itself into knots. Beside him, Lance stills. 

“Uhmm, who are you talking to?” Lance asks. 

“Why, you two of course! Who else?” Suddenly the princess’ eyes widen. “Oh no, I apologize, is your species not as open when it comes to mates? I am terribly sorry, I did not mean to offend.” 

The knots in his stomach crawl up into his chest. Lance blanches. “ _ Mates _ ?!” 

The princess just looks confused now. “Yes…?” 

Pidge snorts. “Ma’am, you must be confused. Those two are not together- er, mates.” 

The princess looks helplessly back and forth. “But…” she gestures toward them, toward Keith, and suddenly Keith is angry. He can feel his defenses rising, and before he can convince himself to calm down and let it drop, he spits out,  _ “But what? _ ” 

“You- you felt- that is, I could sense… his love. For you, specifically.” She points at Lance. 

Keith’s mind flashes back to the briefing. Allura had been talking about the aliens’ abilities, or their culture… something to do with emotions. Something about pheromones, maybe? He doesn’t know, and dammit, he’s freaking out too much to think straight anyway. 

“He is… my teammate. Each of us loves our teammates.” Lance says carefully. 

The princess’ eyebrows raise. “That was not platonic love toward a teammate.” She says frankly. Then she narrows her eyes slightly. “Are you questioning me on if I can read or not? I can assure you-” 

Allura cuts in over her quickly, assuring her that that is not what Lance ment, explaining something about humans and feelings and not sensing or something. 

Keith isn’t listening. 

His whole body is shaking. Everything feels unstable and overwhelming. His breathes are starting to come fast. His mind is buzzing. The nervousness in his chest has multiplied, tenfold. 

The rest of his teammates eyes are on him. He can feel them. Feel their shock and disbelief rolling over him like waves. They alien dignitaries behind the princess just look confused. Everyone looks uncomfortable. 

Keith refuses to even look at Lance. 

Oh, god,  _ Lance _ . 

The buzzing in his mind is getting louder. and his chest feels like it's being constricted. The rational part of his brain is yelling at him to get a grip, to respond because he's pretty sure someone is trying to talk to him. Is someone trying to talk to him? He can hear voices, but he can't understand their words. 

This was negotiation meeting. A meeting with a potential new member of the coalition. Having this planet on their side could turn the tide of this war. And here he was, panting and trying not to break down in front of some of the most politically powerful beings on this side of the galaxy. 

Suddenly, someone is stepping into his space and putting an arm around his shoulder, and Keith flinches almost violently. He's about to try and duck out of the hold before he hears Shiro’s voice in his ear. 

“C’mon, lets go.” 

Keith lets himself be led away; out of the big, fancy halls of the crown palace, out into the giant courtyard, through the weaving maze of gardens and trees. While they walk, his mind begins to clears a bit. As his senses come back to him, he dully realizes that it's probably the adrenaline. They are walking quite fast. Shiro always knows how to calm him down. 

The tightness in his chest wasn’t getting much better, though. 

Keith isn’t sure how long they walk for. Far longer than they should, probably. He hopes that the aliens won't see their absence as rude, or that Allura has managed to come up with some explanation. But honestly, he can’t bring himself to care too much. Because the longer they walk and the clearer his head gets, his dread gives way to anger. 

Distantly, he knows that the alien diplomats had no idea the consequences their words would have. They don't know about human culture and social cues, they're a completely different species. But he can't help but be mad. Because now Lance knows, the  _ whole team  _ knows. And now Lance is going to treat him differently. No more chasing each other in their lions, or late night spars. No more food fights or racing down halls. No more playful bickering and banter. No more Lance muttering to Keith, making him laugh in the middle of meetings or meals and embarrassing him, even though Keith could never bring himself to care. How could he care? When Lance got that proud gleam in his eye, and he would beam at Keith- 

Keith turns and slams his fist into the nearest tree. Based on the numbness in his knuckles, he had hit it hard. Hard enough to bruise, probably. A sick part of him wants to hit the tree again, hard enough to draw blood. 

Shiro stares wide eyed at him, his hands fluttering nervously. “Keith-” 

“Fuck, Shiro,” Keith covers his face with his hand, the other clenching at his side. He starts to pace. His whole body is buzzing to just do  _ something _ . He needs a solution, or a distraction.  _ Something _ . 

“Keith, it's gonna be okay- “

Keith whips around. “How? He’s never going to talk to me again!” 

“Okay, I think that's a little dramatic,” Shiro says. Keith scoffs. 

“I mean- he won’t- it’ll be awkward! And he won’t want to hang out and-” Keith realizes that he's just rambling, and sounds like a little kid, but he doesn't know what else to say. 

“Keith.” Shiro steps forward and places his hands on Keith’s shoulders. Keith looks up at him. “Lance isn’t the type of guy to use someone’s feelings against them. He’s not going to make fun of you, or be mean, or anything like that.” 

The lump in Keith’s throat is back again with a sudden vengeance, and he can feel his eyes stinging. “That's the problem Shiro. He's going to be typical Lance and try to not make a big deal out of it. He’ll be all understanding, and then pull away. No more hanging out in the common room, or sparring, or trying to make him laugh-” Keith cuts off as his vision blurs. 

“Oh, Keith.”

Keith scowls at the pitying tone. Shiro is just a blob of black and white armor at this point. “And I won't even be able to be mad at him because he’s- he’s, ugh- he’s  _ him _ , y’know?” Keith sniffles. “How am I gonna get over him if I can’t even get mad at him?” 

Keith knows he’s not making sense at this point. But all he can think of how now he’s about to lose Lance and all the beautiful things that come with him. Keith had thought that Shiro was all he needed, and then it had extended to his whole team. But now he needed Lance, in a way he didn’t need the others. Shiro was steady support, the person he could cry and rant and vent to. But Shiro was reason and calm, and sometimes Keith needed the high of adrenaline, and that was Lance. 

Exhilarating, refreshing, rejuvenating. Lance egged him on, pushed and goaded, but had developed some sixth sense that told him when to stop. That was what made Keith love Lance. He knew he could trust the boy to have his back- trust him with his life. It was a trust that they had built and cultivated  _ together _ . 

Keith throws himself down at the base of the tree, curling into a ball. He hides his face and does his best to hold back his tears. Shiro sits next to him, gently rubbing his back. 

"What we have right now is so good Shiro, I don't want to lose it," Keith says wetly. 

"I know buddy. I know." 

* * *

Eventually, Keith manages to pull himself together. He convinces Shrio to go back to the meeting, that Keith would be fine alone (because he absolutely refused to face anyone with red, puffy eyes and tear track stains down his face). Instead, he wanders away from the alien castle and out into the plains just beyond. Belatedly, he realizes that these are the hills that he had seen from the palace windows. He doesn't realize how long he's been sitting, staring at the foreign ocean, until the suns begin to dip toward the horizon. 

“Keith.” 

Keith stiffens, but doesn’t turn around. He keeps his eyes trained on the sunset ahead of him, and tries to quell the animal clawing at his insides. 

The soft grass makes Lance’s footsteps sound like he is walking on carpet, not the side of a hill. Keith more feels than sees Lance sit next to him. For a while, the Blue Paladin makes no sound, no attempt at conversation. He just joins Keith in his silent appreciation of the sunset.

“Keith,” Lance says again. 

Keith inhales sharply, but doesn’t look at Lance. But he knows that Lance can read him well enough to take his silence as a response. 

“Is it true? What the dignitary said?” 

“You know it is, why even ask?” 

It comes out sharper and more snarled than Keith had meant it to be, and a bolt of guilt goes through him. He pulls his knees up to his chest, folding his arms over his knees and resting his chin atop them. He doesn’t look away from the sunrise. 

“I need to be sure,” Lance breathes. Keith feels him move closer, and he manages to tense himself even further. Stubbornly, he keeps his eyes trained ahead. 

“Keith, please. Look at me.” 

Keith doesn’t want to look; he doesn't want to cry anymore today. But he knows that he can’t deny Lance. He inhales, and turns. 

Lance’s eyes are shot through with light, turning them bright cerulean. Wisps of hair brush against the corners and edges of his face, and the light is hitting his skin just right so that Keith can see the dusting of freckles across his nose and cheekbones. It wasn’t fair, Keith thought, for Lance to be that beautiful. Not right now. 

Keith’s throat is tight, so when he speaks it comes out choked. “I’m sorry, I didn’t- I didn’t want you to find out that way. Or, uhmm, or at all. I- I understand if you don't want to-” he swallows. “Don’t want to be around me anymore.” 

Lance just stares at him, gaping. God, it really wasn't fair for him to look so beautiful right now. Especially not with his mouth opening and closing like a fish. 

Lance’s silence leaves Keith scrambling for words. “I mean, obviously, like, we have to be around each other. For Voltron, and training, and bonding exercises and stuff, but I mean- I  mean I understand if you don't want to go swimming together or sleep next to me during movie nights-” 

“Keith.”

“Or be my sparring partner anymore or-"

“Keith!” 

While he was rambling, his gaze had shifted down to Lance’s hands. They had been resting on the ground beside him, propping his body up. But they move as Lance turns his whole body to face Keith. He scoots closer until their shoulders are almost touching. If Keith relaxed his shoulders at all, they probably would have. 

“Is that what you want?” Lance asks, voice soft. 

Keith looks back up at Lance’s face, and all the lies he had prepared died on his tongue. Lance’s face was imploring, and something like sadness pulled at the edges of his expression. 

Keith shakes his head. “No.”

“Me neither,” Lance chokes out. He’s smiling, breathy laughter bubbling out of him.

“But, won't you be uncomfortable? I don’t want you to pretend everything is normal just to make me feel better, because I would really rather-” Lance shushes him, chuckling. 

“Keith,” he says, eyes shining. “Did it ever occur to you that I might like you back?” 

“I- what?”

“I said, I like you Keith. More than like.” 

“O-oh… I, ah,” Keith falters. What is he supposed to say now? This isn't the talk he had been preparing himself for, and he feels overwhelmed. “Really?”

“Yes really, you dumbass.” 

Keith can’t even come up with anything clever to say to that. “Oh.” 

Keith hasn’t realized how close Lance’s face has moved until he feels him shift. Lance’s breath puffs against Keith’s lips, and their hands brush. Their fingers entangle, carefully, gently, and Lance whispers to him. 

“Can I kiss you?” 

Keith’s eyes are already slipping closed, his head tilting as he breathes out, “Yeah.”

Lance’s lips are soft, which doesn't surprise Keith. With all the skin care routines he did, it would be weird if they weren’t. But knowing that doesn’t stop him from marveling at how they move against his, how it feels. The movements match Lance’s personality, Keith thinks. Lance kisses him with certain energy that Keith can’t put his finger on. There something so inherently Lance in the firm press of lips, the way he tugs at Keith and crushes him to his chest. 

Keith feels a press of something, and _ oh that's Lance’s tongue, _ and then Lance is pulling away. “Are you- can I-” Lance breaks off, flustered and breathless, and Keith feels a bolt of giddiness shoot through him.  _ He  _ made Lance like that; Lance looked like that because of _ him. _

“Are you asking if you can french kiss me?” he asks with newfound confidence. 

Lance goes impossibly redder as he sputters. “Don't call it that!” 

“Yeah? What should I call it then?” Keith leans back in until their noses bump together. Their breathing mixes, and Keith can feel his eyes falling closed once again. He kisses Lance again before the boy can come up with a response, instead just letting his lips part under Lance’s. He feels the lips against his smile, and Keith’s heart goes up in a blaze. 

They don’t move from that spot until long after the suns slip into the ocean, and the sky has been littered with stars. 

**Author's Note:**

> Rest assured, Allura and Shiro managed to save the alliance by explaining that Keith and Lance are just incredibly stupid :)


End file.
